The time has come — or rather, is seemingly coming soon. Yet another one of President Donald Trump’s closest associates is facing what just might be imminent indictment, and Trump has even already thrown that associate — former New York City mayor turned personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani — under the bus in what’s become basically a pre-indictment ritual for the president at this point. This week on MSNBC, former SDNY prosecutor Mimi Rocah responded to the new subpoena demanding evidence from Giuliani’s personal consulting firm by suggesting that the lawyer could be facing imminent criminal charges. The subpoena focuses on Giuliani apparently freely diving into secret consulting work for overseas clients.
These kinds of criminal cases have already culminated in formal federal criminal charges for the president’s associates before. His former campaign manager Paul Manafort faced charges over failing to register as a foreign agent in addition to the money laundering allegations that helped send him to prison.
Rocah explained that in Giuliani’s case:
‘What we’re talking about here is this blurring of lines between being a lawyer, between being a consultant, and supposedly, being the personal lawyer for the president. So he’s trying, purportedly, to represent the president in criminal matters — though I still really question that whole premise that that’s what he’s doing.’
She added, more directly:
‘Look, Rudy Giuliani, as far as I can tell, is up to his eyeballs in crime. I mean, there is — you know, again, we don’t like to try and make predictions, but I would be surprised at this point if Rudy Giuliani didn’t get indicted. Like I said, that subpoena with eight crimes on it seems very specific, very far along to me and just the reporting that we’re hearing, there is a lot of smoke there. If Trump is going to try to now put this whole Ukraine matter on him, Giuliani seems to be going along with that so far.’
As she noted, that state of affairs means that Giuliani is “essentially being implicated in a bribery conspiracy by the president of the United States.” Although Trump and his cronies have attempted to claim otherwise, the brute facts of the situation reveal that Trump attempted to hold military aid for Ukraine — and the possibility of a summit in D.C. with his team — until Ukraine produced dirt on the Bidens, or at least started trying to. Perhaps Trump recently resorting to casting blame to Rudy for the idea indicates he’s sensing how much trouble that he’s really in.
Besides the pressure he’s facing from the president, one of the lawyer’s associates who recently faced criminal charges is reportedly cooperating with Congress.
‘The Wall Street Journal reports the SDNY is issuing new subpoenas seeking more information on Rudy Giuliani’s consulting firm. ABC News also reports Giuliani’s former associate Lev Parnas is participating in House Dems impeachment probe, by providing Congress with video and audio recordings that include President Trump and Giuliani.’
Throughout the whole scandal, Trump just keeps insisting that fundamentally, he’s innocent.
